i'm not sure when or how it happened, but i have started accepting instagram and facebook 'likes' as a meaningful form of connection. sad.

complete sentences.

some of you (those few that used to read my blog when i actually wrote entries) may know that i've been trying dating of the online variety. that's because dating of the, say, reality-based variety hasn't really been something happening with me.

now, i know that i can be a bit of snob when it comes to writing, and i wouldn't hold that over someone. but basic puncutation (besides capitalizing anything on this blog), grammar and writing in complete sentences are important to me when making a first impression. so when you write an initial message like this:

Like to chat, Take you to eat maybe... [name]

i will not write back. because when that's what you write, i don't have high hopes for your speaking skills. i don't think that's too much to expect. i've gotten several that just say "hi"or "hey" this makes me think that maybe you're the guy at the bar that just stares at girls and doesn't say anything, and i will not respond. there are other bizarro messages, which i haven't decided if i will share on here or not. much less the few guys that i have met in person. i just needed to rant about the above one line email that i just got. someone remind me again that this is all worth it? you know, once i meet a guy that i actually might go with on a second date? because if not - man, i already have 1 cat. i can easily fit about 8 more in my apartment.

drama queen

 so my coworker wrote this email to the ops department. i'll let you figure out what i contributed to the email.

Hello,
 Our office has been way too cold for the last several months. Can we please have the temp adjusted to be slightly warmer (obviously don’t want it to get too warm either).
 “I’m so cold I want to cry but I’m worried the tears would freeze on my face.”-- Officemate Please let me know if there is any other information we can provide to help fix this situation.
 Thanks so much,

carpooling

since i started my new job, i've been able to start taking doing the casual carpool thing. save me money that i'd be spending on BART, and it's way faster getting to work. the driver saves money on the bridge tolle and time taking the carpool lane. the environment is conserved. everyone wins.

i usually hop in the car and space out on my ipod. that said, it's still an adventure each morning seeing who i'll end up riding with.on more than one morning, i've thought to myself "i'm going to die on the bay bridge with a bunch of strangers." some of the cars are pretty nice with leather interior. then there was the morning i got into the front seat of a beaten up modern volkswagen beetle. i settled in, looked up and saw that the glove compartment was partially held closed with a bit of wire, from the handle to the vent of on the dashboard. that was one of the mornings i thought i was going to die in a tiny car. sometimes the other passengers i wait in line with are a little odd. this one guy i've seen a few times always wears a photographer's vest, the kind with the millions pockets, and carries an over stuffed messenger bag that he can barely close. he looks like the unabomber. the other day he got in line, pulled a belt out of his bag and proceeded to put it on. i didn't understand why he couldn't have done that before he left the house. i understand if you are in a hurry, but if you can make it down the street without the pants falling down, you don't really need the belt anyway, right?

most drivers play NPR or something sort of talk radio in the car. last week, i got in a car, and i realized that the man was playing a "how to play the guitar" cd. kind of odd. especially when the cd refers extensively to the workbook you should be looking at for the chord progressions while you are PLAYING THE GUITAR, not DRIVING A CAR. he played it the whole 25 minutes it took to get over the bridge. in between chord progressions, the cd played the same 2 minute track of music that you were supposed to learn. what? i don't get it.

this morning i rode in the back of a convertible mini cooper. top down. which was kind of awesome, only i didn't wear a jacket this morning because it was such a nice day. i almost froze to death going over the bridge if it weren't for the extra sweater the driver happened to have in the backseat.

that's about it. i'll see you on the blog again in a few months. ha!

load 16 tons and what do you get?

well, i'm two weeks in at a new job. surprise!
yeah, i left my job at a smallish non-profit and now work at a large name brand corporation. if you want to know which one you can email me and ask. the funding picture had become precarious, and i'd been kind of feeling the itch to leave for some time and not sure what to do/where to go. a friend who worked at the corporation encouraged me to apply for a contract position, as that was how he'd gotten hired on full-time. so i did, and now i find myself in the umpteenth different job/career path. again. next i will join the circus. i feel pretty good about it though.
to say that it is a change is an understatement. my old job had 9 people in the whole organization. now, gosh, i have no idea how many people work at this company. way more than nine. i have a photo badge that i have to swipe at the gate on the ground floor to get past the front desk. i'm learning a whole new vocabulary and process for my job and it makes my brain hurt sometimes, but i've realized that i like figuring things out and it's fast paced, so it's been good to give my head a workout. i'm looking forward to getting to know my new coworkers, that's what keeps me entertained/engaged at work.

jellyfish addendum

talking to my quasi-nephew, ping (he's 6), the other day:

me: hey ping, what color are jellyfish?
ping: clear!

there ya go.

last week, i went to one of those after-hours museum events, where they keep it open late play loud music and serve booze, so you can drink with your friends and learn stuff at the same time.

i was in the aquarium section of the Academy of Sciences, and staring at this really cool tank of jellyfish. such intricate-looking creatures. these two dudes walk up next to me, and one says to his buddy something like, "oh cool they're like chameleons!" my eyes got really big at hearing this, because these particular jellyfish were translucent - there were lights in the tank that periodically changed colors to red and blue and green and such (like how some cheesy hot tubs have these lights that change colors).

i stood there a little longer to see if he realized what he just said. then i hear, "how do they know to change to the same color at the same time?" waited 5 more seconds to see if his buddy would say anything, which he did not. then i had to leave quickly to get around the corner to start laughing really hard and find my friends to tell them about it. oh man.